Thursday, February 16, 2012

Media-Whore D'Oevures

"The last time we were in the Park Avenue Armory was for the Winter Antiques show, where every inch of the massive space was covered in paintings, curios, Edwardian furniture and antique lovers, most of whom were no longer sample sizes. Last night, however, the space was entirely empty, save for two giant screens, each fifty feet tall, and not a single guest exceeded a size six. Fashion Week fixtures gathered in the space, jaws slackened as they watched the massive projections. Each screen showed a video installastion by Solve Sundsbo, showing two models, one female, one male, with continuously changing body parts. To a haunting electronica sound track (if it wasn’t the same hypnotic hymn played in the Standard Hotel’s storied elevator, it was hardly distinguishable), well-toned legs morphed into writhing snakes, chests became blooming flowers and close-up ready faces were transformed into raven’s heads, always assuming a vaguely anthropomorphic shape. Cate Blanchett, Martha Stewart, Olivia Palermo, Tory Burch, Anna Dello Russo, Coco Rocha, Yigal Azrouel, Lara Stone and Shalom Harlow absorbed the hypnagogic installation whilst imbibing champagne, wine and vodka. There was no food, only a few trays of Maison du Chocolat truffles making the rounds in honor of St. Valentine’s day. After a flute (or two) we decided to broach a contentious subject with our fashionable comrades. Karl Lagerfeld recently called Adele 'too fat,' (a comment which he later retracted, but let’s not get bogged in details, shall we?) ...We asked Diane von Furstenberg (who was staring, transfixed at the screens) if she thought the idea of beauty was really changing in fashion. 'Is it?' she asked whimsically, apparently still under the film’s spell. Of Adele, she angrily brushed aside any naysayers, snapping back to reality. 'I think that she’s hot, I see her picture, she looks great. Listen, beautify is what beauty does. John Keats said it before me.'" (Observer)